Merchandising 101: Assortments

Pulling an assortment for a show can be challenging if you have been experimenting with new work or are running low on seasonal items and need to mix them with more permanent wares. Luckily thanks to years as a visual merchandiser the process makes more sense to me.

I pulled these items based on the type of show that I'm doing. First, its at a restaurant that carries my dinnerware. I wanted to make sure I had a few of those plates as maybe some customers may come by looking for them. With that in mind I also always bring wedding items (the one thing not pictured here) as they are top sellers. In order to create a cohesive assortment I pulled a combo of rustic items to pull in the dinnerware along with lustered items to transition in the porcelain and gold bridal gifts.

I also took into consideration the physical space. I will have a six foot table not a ten foot booth. This currently is taking up about four x four feet of space. Once I add the wedding gifts I will have a full but not over packed display. I also chose a variety of price points and made sure that I had two of everything. For example I am bringing two serving bowls that are similar in size but have slightly different surface treatments for variety. I also have some planters and tea towels as those are great small purchase items. The show is only three hours so I wanted to keep everything simple. I won't have any back stock so I have less to clean up. If it was an all day show such as the Flea I would have two boxes of back stock to refill.